The documents were found and released in a report from Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
At UT Austin, Rufo found ample evidence that multiple departments including their College of Communication, the Department of History, the Multicultural Engagement Center, and the Gender and Sexuality Center are promoting both radical critical race and gender theories.
Both the Department of History and the College of Communication promoted the idea that “white supremacy” was an issue that must be “dismantled.” UT Austin has continued to integrate DEI policies into their departments and policies, with one report finding that they “espouse a clear ideological agenda.” The UT Austin Diversity and Community and Engagement vice president was allotted a budget of over one million dollars for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
According to Rufo’s reporting, DEI has become embedded in a variety of different Texas A&M departments including their ADVANCE Scholars Program which in their Accountability, Climate, Equity, and Scholarship (ACES) Faculty Fellows Program, measures applicants on their “commitment to diversity.” Additionally, in their hiring process, the official Handbook for Faculty Search Committee Members states that “all members of a search committee should be advocates for diversity.”
The Texas A&M Office of Diversity submitted a report in 2020 where it purports that “racism, hate speech, safety, and belonging issues are evidence of systemic, cultural problems that are enduring trends at Texas A&M.” The School of Dentistry and the School of Veterinary Medicine both introduced DEI policies and lectures into their departments that mandate “cultural competence training,” and the Mays Business School noted they would work on “advancing the world’s prosperity” by creating “a culture of inclusion” and “embedding diversity and inclusion.”
The Office of Diversity additionally pointed to policies by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Gov. Greg Abbott as evidence of “systemic racism.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been vocal in his support of eliminating DEI offices on college campuses and made Senate Bill (SB) 17, which seeks to address the issue, a priority piece of legislation this session. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has also asserted that DEI policy “has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”
SB 17 is currently left pending in committee in the House.
###
Disclosure: Unlike almost every other media outlet, The Texan is not beholden to any special interests, does not apply for any type of state or federal funding, and relies exclusively on its readers for financial support. If you’d like to become one of the people we’re financially accountable to, click here to subscribe.
Cameron Abrams
Cameron Abrams is a reporter for The Texan. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Tabor College and a Master’s Degree from University of the Pacific, Cameron is finishing his doctoral studies where his research focuses on the postmodern philosophical influences in education. In his free time, you will find him listening to a podcast while training for an endurance running event.
